I've always been particular about mono red decks, and just recently the RB blightning aggro/beatdown deck have peaked my interest. Unfortunately, the casual setting I play in has a strange meta, as does my FNM.

This deck consistently comes out and beats down on MOST decks I come across. However 1 friend I play uses mono white kithkin and it pisses me off constantly. He only main boards 1 forge tender, and he always seems to play it turn 1. After he sides in 4 he mulligans till he has a turn 1 forge tender. Now on the first game its just GG if it comes out and I have to deal with it using the tools I have in main board. I just have nothing available to deal with what happens, and it seems whenever I try to gain card advantage with a blightning or a well timed volcanic fallout I never net better than a 2 for 1 gain, and with the matchup being as unfavorable as it is its just not good enough.

Some notable problems that I am looking for solutions for:

How to deal with turn 3 glorious anthem (and the inevitable second one that comes into play later on)

How to deal with ranger of eos

Is goblin outlander the obvious answer to these questions? siege gange commander? The 2 cards that I love in the deck, but HATE in the matchup against monowhite is hellspark elemental and shambling remains. Any deck that doesn't play remove from game spells (AKA celestial purge, unmake, path to exile) gets creamed by the graveyard recursion, but against MWK it is laughable even when they resolve and land damage.

What I see is goblin out lander will defiantly improve the matchup, but I don't see it helping my deck against all other matchups. I'm also unsure about the distortion of my mana curve by playing siege gang commanders, but the card is such a beast. I'm looking for helpful information from players that have tested blightning aggro and have played against these match ups. Insight that I am unaware of is much appreciated.

I play the deck as well and imho the deck needs Terror. Maindeck or Sideboard... I would always play 3 of them maindeck. Instead of the Shambling Remains.

Don't need Shriekmaw in the sideboard. Drop them in favor of Goblin Outlanders. They make your matchup vs. white so much better. If you have a lot of white decks in your meta, then you could also play them maindeck.

I don't want to say that this is the most optimal list. Because it's kind of tweaked to my meta + I don't have all the cards I want to play.

For example:
I'd love to play 1 extra reflecting pool in favor of 1 mountain.
And I might want to use Bitterblossoms as well.

My meta has a hell of a load of white. But I dislike the outlanders maindeck (Because of Volcanic Fallouts).
But almost all of my sideboard is usable vs mono white. (Which is and will be our worst matchup)

These are all really great suggestions. I'm going to use 2 siege-gang in MB now. I'm still iffy about terror over shriekmaw. hard casting a shriekmaw gives a 3/2 blocker against pro red creatures, and a 3/2 unblock able against non-black decks. Instant speed terror is a plus, but so far I have not played against someone who uses plumeveil.

I have recently gotten a wild ricochet and have been tempted to use it in my main board as a 1 of, but the 4 cost associated with it has kept me from ever using it. How has that card performed for other players, and is it a side board card against certain decks? I run 4 bitter blossoms in side as a game 2 win condition. It only works well if I just won game 1 and I want to quickly seal the deal on game 2.

Stigma Lasher is such a cool card, but against the deck I need it the most (bant aggro with rhox warmonk and rafiq) it never gets a hit on the player. Everlasting torment does the job but only if I have another enchantment or permanent that can soak a celestial purge ( like a bitter blossom) It also doesn't trade with any other 2 drop in the meta very well, so it's a great card when your opponent gets a slow hand, horrible when they bring there A game.

Those goblin Outlanders will go in my side, they seem to be the key against any white deck. Stigma lashers will have to go, there performance is consistently bad, at least in my deck. I am unsure about thoughtseize, I like seeing my opponents hand but for my sideboard options the choice will be either thoughtseize or bitterblossom, not both. I've seen bitter blossom in play and it has won games (albeit very close games) I have no experience using thoughtseize so am unsure which is the best option.

That seems weird for sideboard though, as bitter blossom and goblin outlander would be vying for the same position in the main deck depending on if I want offense or defense. I also hate not wanting to cast a field wipe because I have creatures on my board, and both cards put creatures into play that would be killed by my own infests and volcanic fallout.

EDIT:
I have used profane command in the past and it has given really bad results. It often is played on turn 4 to kill a 2/2 and deal another 3 damage, but when played later on for a shriekmaw recursion or any other fancy shenanigans, it is either to little to late or easily counter able. After losing a few times to incorrectly playing profane's I sold my playset. It was a good card and had some great playable functions, but I feel WoTC did a bad thing by making it sorcery speed.

Actually, neither is in good in that deck right now, hence the reason it's not teir 1. Demigod says bye bye to a Path, and if you play Siege Gang on turn 5, odds are you'll say bye bye to it from a Volcanic Fallout. Siege-Gang is good in the 'Lark decks, but not so much in Blightning.

Put a 4th Infest in the board, and please, please... run Terror over Shriekmaw. As good as Shrieky is, instant-speed removal is still better than the creature. A 4th Fallout in place of the singleton Banefire should be there too, move the Banefire to the boaard.

All content on this page may not be reproduced without consent of Magic-League Directors.
Magic the Gathering is TM and copyright Wizards of the Coast, Inc, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. All rights reserved.